Liverpool played host to night six of the Premier League campaign with Stephen Bunting and Michael Smith providing the local talent on offer.
With a number of ex world champions, and the current world champion in the league, the nights action delivered what it promised.
Michael Smith vs Peter Wright
Michael Smith remained in third position and still inside the top four places despite losing 7-4 to Peter Wright. The loss allowed opponent Wright, and Nathan Aspinall to both move level on points with the “bully boy”.
It was a comfortable night for “Snakebite” Wright, with Smith never really getting going during the opening game. There wasn’t any signs of a spirited fightback from Smith and it was a relatively easy nights work for Peter.
Glen Durrant vs Daryl Gurney
PDC newcomer Glen Durrant continued to prove doubters wrong, holding off a late Daryl Gurney fightback to run out 7-5 winner after both men continued to break each other’s throw.
Despite not being the biggest scorer in the competition, there is no denying Durant’s excellent finishing ability and he once again showed great composure checking out on 63% of his doubles. The victory keeps Durrant on top of the Premier League heading into night seven.
Michael Van Gerwen vs Gerwyn Price
Despite the fact of there being two Merseyside players on stage, world number one Michael Van Gerwen is always the star attraction. The Dutchman ran out 7-5 winner over rival Gerwyn Price, finishing with a frightening average of just over 106.
A stunning 123 checkout on the bull proved to be one of the best finishes on a great night of darts, in what was a fantastic performance on the back of MVG’s first win of 2020 using a new set of darts.
Stephen Bunting vs Rob Cross
Stephen Bunting made his return to Thursday night darts in Liverpool for the first time since a crushing defeat to Phil Taylor. The Merseyside man who is hoping to become a permanent fixture in the Premier League, rather than appearing as a challenger played out a 6-6 draw with Rob Cross.
The Bullet headed into the match as a massive underdog, following his defeat to Cross in the UK open at the weekend. Having admitted emotions got the better of him last time, Bunting played some great darts to leave the stage with a draw against the former world champion.
Gary Anderson vs Nathan Aspinall
The final game of the evening saw another PDC newcomer in Nathan Aspinall produce a stunning comeback to secure a point vs former world champion Gary Anderson. The” flying Scotsman”raced into a comfortable 5-1 lead, before throwing it away and allowing Aspinall to gain another point.
Aspinall’s comeback saw him finish with the highest average on the night, topping the world number one’s of 106 with a fantastic 107.64, a staggering statistic considering Aspinall only came away with a single point.
Image credit goes to Lawrence Lustig – PDC
